It's late afternoon in Thailand and Gemma Ward is calling me via WhatsApp after several botched attempts on a crackly mobile. One of the world's most famous models, 31-year-old Ward has been on retreat completing a yoga-teacher training course, something she tells me she's been wanting to do "for a long, long time".
That she has only just got round to it is testament to the Australian model's enduring ethereal beauty. Signed by IMG in 2003 after attending a modelling contest in a Perth mall "as a joke", the then 16-year-old was promptly flown to Milan to meet Miuccia Prada and walk in the house's runway show the same season.
A shoot with Steven Meisel followed for the Prada campaign, followed by contracts with Balenciaga, Burberry, Hermès, Dior, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and just about every other house under the sun.
A few months later, Ward became the youngest model to appear on the cover of American Vogue. Aged 17, she replaced Kate Moss as the face of Calvin Klein's Obsession, and at 19, Forbes' annual list of the world's highest earning models reported Ward as commanding $20,000 (£16,000) per show, and earning $3 million (£2.4 million) a year.
Wool jumper, £513, I Love Mr Mittens
"Actually, modelling wasn't the plan," she says, laughing. "As a little girl I wanted to be an actress. I begged my mum for an agent aged seven! I had my heart set on attending the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Australia. But I do use some of that creativity in modelling.
"My favourite experiences are always with people who bring that element into their work - like with Alexander McQueen and Steven Meisel, who always creates a dramatic moment with his sets, stories, roles... His shoots aren't just about wearing a dress; there's a social commentary."
Ward herself has been on the receiving end of less welcome social commentary, particularly in the wake of the death of her then-boyfriend, the actor Heath Ledger, in 2008 from an accidental overdose.
Thrust into the media spotlight and harassed by paparazzi and tabloid magazines that lambasted her for gaining weight, Ward withdrew from the public eye - and the world of modelling - for six years.
Lambswool cardigan, £345, & Daughter. Top and camel-wool skirt, £790, both Max Mara. Cashmere scarf, £499, Johnston's of Elgin. Silk scarf (worn around waist), £275, Salvatore Ferragamo. Wellington boots worn throughout, stylist's own
It was a time she spent working through mental-health issues around anxiety and depression - receiving treatment for an eating disorder she says she struggled with "from a very young age" - but there were good things too, like becoming a mother.
Together with her partner, David Letts, a photographer whom she met on a beach near Sydney in 2008, Ward has two children: a daughter, Naia, five, and a son, Jet, who is two. The birth of Naia, Ward says, was the catalyst for her triumphant return to the industry in 2014.
"After I had my daughter, I felt like I became a different person, I felt like a warrior," she explains. "I was working for a different reason. I wanted to go back for [Naia] and give her an example of a strong woman who works."
Wool sweater, £1700, Louis Vuitton
Ward is careful not to miss her children's birthdays or Christmases, but says she is fortunate her partner looks after them while she's at work. "We find balance in our family." To that end, they have moved back to Byron Bay in Australia, after a year in New York.
"Australia is home," Ward says. "I have spent a lot of time away, but the more I've travelled the more I appreciate that. I always pictured myself raising my kids in Australia."
The location of our shoot, too, was special for the model. "It is a country town called Bundanoon, which reminded me of where my aunt and uncle had a farm. [It made me think about] happy days, roaming free..."
Tweed jacket, £2,300, matching skirt, £980, and lace gloves, £205, all Gucci. Merino-wool top, £444, Wolfgang Scout. Cotton over-the-knee socks worn throughout, £125, Miu Miu. Leather boots, £1,220, Prada
When Ward is not otherwise engaged, she loves yoga, boxing, Muay Thai and running on the beach. "In Byron Bay, the sand is so hard it's like running on a track," she says.
Music is another passion, and she has taught herself to play the piano and guitar. But one of her main creative outlets is writing. "During my break I spent a lot of time writing and developing projects. I love the craft that goes into writing. I've found lots of material through the people I meet and situations I've been in."
We await the memoir with bated breath.
Model: Gemma Ward at IMG London. Hair: Sophie Roberts at Artist Group. Make-up: Isabella Schimid at Assembly Agency. Styling assistant: Miguel Urbina Tan. Casting: Megan McCluskie. Production: Kate Austin at Assembly Agency. Shot at Springfield Farm in Bundanoon, Australia, courtesy of Contemporary Hotels
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